


Sepia Toned Kisses

by milosparks



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-16 23:03:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4643337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milosparks/pseuds/milosparks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi Taire! This is for you cuz i doubt anyone else is gonna read this. Based off of this fanart: http://crowthis.tumblr.com/post/102938847465/we-all-did-one</p></blockquote>





	Sepia Toned Kisses

It takes him about ten minutes to notice it. Not many people would notice something dull, metal, and commonplace among the shiny, plasticine future ahead of them.

But Bucky always has a soft spot for photo booths, and Steve knows this very well.

The small blond man nudges the taller brunet.

“You wanna go, get some mementos for when we’re apart?”

Bucky glances over at the photo booth, and turns to Steve with a smile that Steve thinks is brighter than the goddamn sun.

“God, Barnes, no need to look so forlorn,” Steve says jokingly.

“Gosh, Rogers, I guess our dates aren’t gonna get here for a few more minutes, so I guess we gotta go,” Bucky says, going along with Steve’s banter.

The smaller man shakes his head, laughing, and the two walk towards the gray booth. It’s cramped, to say the least, but Steve doesn’t mind one bit. For the first three photos out of eight, Bucky jokes around, slinging his arm over Steve’s shoulder, leaning against him. It’s quite hot, so he takes off his hat, and runs his hand through his slightly damp hair.

The camera has snapped three photos when Steve looks over at Bucky, a half smile on his face. The camera snaps a fourth photo, and Steve quickly looks away, embarrassed. Bucky is quick to catch the blonde, though, and, to Steve’s surprise and excitement, the brunet presses his lips to the blonde’s cheek.

Steve makes a noise, almost a yelp, as the camera snaps another photo. For the last three pictures, Bucky continues as he did before, but Steve stares ahead, still shocked. He kissed me.

The two tumble out of the booth, and into the cool night. Bucky fishes out the two strips of pictures, taking one and sliding it into his pants pocket, and passing the other to Steve.

“Th-thanks, Buck,” Steve stammers, the blush on his cheeks deepening in color.

“Hey, I think I see our dates!” Bucky says, pointing to the two girls.

“Great,” Steve whispers.

_What a jerk_ , he thinks, smiling and looking at Bucky walking to the girls. 

* * *

 

“Where’d they put my shirt?” Steve asks as the nurse walks away, a tray of blood samples in her hands.

“Pardon?” Peggy asks.

“My old shirt. I had some pictures in it.”

“Oh, it’s still in the laboratory. I can go fetch it for you?” Steve quickly shakes his head.

He can’t have anyone seeing those photos. He’d be kept in the Army, sure, they’ve put thousands of dollars into him, but Bucky is just another soldier. He’d be booted out before Steve could put the photos in a safe place. Even if it was just a friendly kiss, it could be taken the wrong way.

He’s walking back to the lab when he’s stopped by Howard Stark.

“Hey pal, I got your stuff for you. Doubt you’re gonna be needing the shirt, though,” Howard says, handing him the small bundle of things. He can see the photo is out of the pocket it was originally in. He glares up at Stark, who simply shrugs.

“I’m not gonna critique who you got the hots for, Rogers. Hell, if I criticized you for getting kissed by a man, I’d be the biggest fuckin’ hypocrite the world has ever seen. You done good, Steve,” the man says, patting Steve on the chest, and leaving him alone in the hallway, trying to comprehend what Stark has just told him.

He thinks he and Bucky are together?

_If only, if only, Howard. If only,_ the blond thinks, smiling sadly and shaking his head.

* * *

 

It takes him four months but he finally finds Bucky again. It’s in the middle of enemy territory, in a heavily guarded base.

He finds Bucky limp and almost unconscious, lying down against a medical table. It took him a few seconds to recognize Steve, but when he did, the elation spreading across his face was palpable.

And now they’re separated by what looks like a river of fire.

“Go! Get out of here with the others!” Steve shouts across the gap.

“ _NO! Not without you_!” Bucky screams. These words are like a dagger to Steve. He doesn’t truly care if he lives or dies, as long as Bucky remains alive.

And Bucky feels the same way.

So Steve jumps.

He’s falling, he feels it.

He’s not going to make it.

But suddenly, his hands are on the railing, his feet are bracing against the metal walkway, and Bucky is using whatever little strength he has left to haul the blond over the railing.

A piece of paper flutters from Steve’s pocket, but Bucky snatches it out of the air quickly.

“The pictures from the photo booth?” Bucky asks.

“Yeah. Did you keep yours?”

“They took them from me when I got here.”

“Well, I guess we’ve gotta keep these safe then.” “

Doesn’t matter, I’ve got the real thing now,” Bucky says, wrapping a hand around Steve’s neck, and kissing him hard and fast. They don’t have time to revel in this moment, as the factory is still blowing up around them.

“Wow, fucking fantastic timing, Barnes,” Steve says as they jog towards the exit.

“Hey, you could’ve done it in the damn photo booth, but no, you gotta wait until we’re literally inches from death!” Bucky shouts as they run out into the cool air, towards the soldiers that have already gotten out.

“You’re a piece of shit, you know that?” Steve says, looking at the man. He laughs as they join the crowd of soldiers. They can’t kiss now, but Steve knows for sure that he’s gonna pull some strings and get them a tent far away from the others.

* * *

 

_Icy, icy, icy. Don’t fucking slip,_ Steve thinks, moving across the train.

“Isn’t this fun?” Bucky asks as they enter the car, where there’s some protection against the biting wind.

“Simply thrilling. Don’t know why we don’t do that more,” Steve says, shaking his head. Bucky laughs, and the two begin to move through the train car.

Steve is farther ahead than Bucky, and has entered another car when he hears the door sliding closed behind him. He rushes to the door, and slams his shield against it.

It doesn’t budge.

“Behind you!” Bucky screams, and Steve whips around to see a HYDRA goon behind him. He ducks behind some boxes, grimacing. How could he have let this fucking slip?

All it takes is three shots and the goon is dead, but he can hear gunshots from the other car, where Bucky is fighting someone.

He shoots the door, which slides open.

Okay, he got semi-lucky this time. He makes motions to Barnes, who nods and makes himself as small as possible against the wall. Steve rushes forward, slamming into the boxes, sending them forward, towards the goon, who jumps out of the way, so Bucky can fire one shot and take him out.

“I had him on the ropes.”

“I know you did,” Steve says, shaking his head at the dead body.

But neither of them see the giant goon come out behind them, until they hear the whine of the gun loading up.

“Get down!” Steve yells, knocking Bucky to the floor. He’s disoriented, and the first thing he sees when he gets up is Bucky, holding the shield and firing at the goon.

And then the goon fires, hitting the shield, and knocking Bucky out of the gaping hole in the side of the train.

Steve fires his gun at the goon, who collapses on the spot. And then Steve rushes to help Bucky.

“Take my hand!” Steve shouts, reaching out to the man, who is clinging on for dear life.

The railing creaks.

Oh god no.

And then it falls away entirely.

Taking Bucky with it.

Steve’s screams cannot be loud enough. 

* * *

Whiskey whiskey whiskey whiskey rum whiskey whiskey brandy wine wine wine beer whiskey vodka rum whiskey whiskey.

Steve tallies up in his head the bottles of alcohol he’s drank so far.

Around the time he drank the fifth bottle of whiskey, Carter came and talked to him. By the first bottle of wine, the other Commandos visited him. Stark came with the vodka and they drank it together. Colonel Philips came soon afterwards, with the rum.

He hears the cork pop, as if from a distance.

Whiskey.

And he can drink and drink and drink but it doesn’t work.

He’s gotten used to the burn by now.

And the tears stain the photos.

* * *

He can see the ice glittering in the distance.

Carter’s picture is on the radar, but, mere seconds before hitting the ice, he pulls out the photos.

And when Captain America goes into the ice, he’s smiling.

* * *

When Arnim Zola begins the procedure, he has a secret in his briefcase.

It’s just eight photos, but each one can access a different part of the Asset’s brain. They call him Yasha, he thinks.

And it’s going to be vital in the creation of their weapon.

* * *

They find Captain America with eight photos in his hand.

They are taken away and preserved immediately, for future use.

They’re also the first thing he asks for.

So Nick Fury pulls some strings.

Steve has them within the hour.

Steve thinks they’ll make him smile.

They don’t.

They just make him wish.

Wish for a better ending, wish for a second chance, wish for Peggy.

Wish for him.

* * *

So far, only one of his wishes has been granted, because Bucky may be in front of him, but this isn’t a happy ending.

“You’re my… friend.”

“You’re my mission!” Bucky shouts, slamming into Steve.

He repeats this phrase several times while slamming his fist into Steve’s face.

Steve doesn’t even try to block.

“Then… finish it,” Steve says.

Bucky stands still.

“Cause I’m with you… ‘til the end of the line,” Steve says.

An explosion rocks the helicarrier, and Steve is falling.

He’s falling again.

He crashes into the glittering blue waters of the Potomac, and lets himself sink.

The last thing he sees is glittering and silver.

* * *

His dream is sepia toned.

There are people talking, people laughing.

He’s crammed into a tiny booth that’s far too hot, with someone else beside him.

And when he kisses Steve’s cheek, Steve kisses back.

And it stays like that forever.

He did wish for a happy ending.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Taire! This is for you cuz i doubt anyone else is gonna read this. Based off of this fanart: http://crowthis.tumblr.com/post/102938847465/we-all-did-one


End file.
